Learn Something New: Master These Trending Topics for 2018

The New Year is a great time to pick up some brand new skills. If you want to stay ahead of the game then check out our top insights for 2018!

1. CSS Grid

“What’s the most important thing happening in web design right now? This. Powerful layout has arrived on the web.”—Chris Coyier, Co-Founder of CodePen

How we approach layout on the web is changing, and at the forefront of that change is CSS Grid Layout. This quick start guide and these courses will help you get stuck in, right now.

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  CSS
  CSS Grid Layout: A Quick Start Guide
  Ian Yates
• 
  CSS
  Bringing CSS Grid Layout and Flexbox Together
  Craig Campbell
• 
  CSS
  3 CSS Grid Projects for Web Designers
  Craig Campbell

The New CSS Layout

Want to take advantage of this pivotal moment in the evolution of layout? Rachel Andrew’s new book with A Book Apart, The New CSS Layout, is an excellent introduction to a complex topic. With practical examples, Rachel breaks down every bit of the specification in a way that’s easy to understand.

2. Vue.js

Vue.js is gaining momentum and has quickly established itself as a worthy challenger to React. According to the annual State of JavaScript survey, Vue and React have the highest developer satisfaction ratios of any front-end JavaScript library or framework.

One of the big selling points of Vue is that it’s easy to learn if you already know HTML and CSS. The versatility of Vue is great for small and large-scale web apps alike. On top of all this, it’s blazing fast!

These courses will get you coding with Vue in no time.

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  Vue.js
  Get Started With Vue
  Lawrence Turton
• 
  Vue.js
  Code a Quiz App With Vue.js
  Derek Jensen

3. Adobe XD

Adobe XD is fast becoming the web designer’s graphic tool of choice. It allows for designing, prototyping, and collaborating with others, all from within one application! 

Get stuck into Adobe XD and learn icon design, prototyping, landing page design, and more with these four courses.

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  Adobe XD
  This Is Adobe XD
  Daniel White
• 
  Adobe XD
  Prototyping an App With Adobe XD
  Daniel White
• 
  Adobe XD
  Landing Page Design With Adobe XD
  Daniel White
• 
  Adobe XD
  Icon Design With Adobe XD
  Daniel White

4. JavaScript Fundamentals

The JavaScript ecosystem has become extremely rich, and there is now considerable momentum behind improving the language itself. According to the annual State of JavaScript survey, a majority of developers think that, despite its flaws, it’s moving in a generally positive direction. 

What better time to absolutely master the fundamentals?

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  JavaScript
  Modern JavaScript Fundamentals
  Dan Wellman

You should also check out our comprehensive guide to help you learn JavaScript development online, whether you’re just getting started as a web developer or you want to explore more advanced topics such as using the newest frameworks or building your own!

5. Accessibility for Everyone

The time has come to make the web an accessible and inclusive place for everyone. Laura Kalbag’s new book with A Book Apart, Accessibility for Everyone, brings to a head the idea that making the web useful for everyone is the responsibility of all web professionals. 

She deftly guides you through the accessibility landscape so you can understand disability and impairment challenges; get a handle on important laws and guidelines; and learn how to plan for, evaluate, and test accessible design. 

A Beginner’s Guide to Web Accessibility

You can build on your understanding of accessibility and start making improvements immediately with our course, A Beginner’s Guide to Web Accessibility.

Whether you’re a designer, developer, project manager, or CEO, this course will help you realize that accessibility is worth the time it takes to make improvements, and it’s not much extra effort if added into the workflow of a project.

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  Web Accessibility
  A Beginner’s Guide to Web Accessibility
  John Hartley

6. Designing in the Browser

Browser-based applications are becoming more and more prevalent, and their viability for use in web design is steadily increasing. Sure, they might not have the full grunt of desktop-based applications, but they can still be very powerful regardless, and they come with perks you typically won’t find in regular software.

Read our guide to browser-based web design applications, or get stuck in and try out Gravit Designer and Figma in our courses.

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  Browser Apps
  State of Browser-Based Web Design Applications: 2018
  Kezz Bracey
• 
  Gravit Designer
  Gravit Designer Quick Start
  Kezz Bracey
• 
  UI Design
  Introduction to Figma
  Adi Purdila

Start Learning With an Elements Subscription

You can start watching all these video courses and read all the eBooks in our library straight away with a subscription to Envato Elements. For a single low monthly fee, you get access to our eBook library and our growing collection of over 1,000 video courses on Envato Tuts+.

Plus you now get unlimited downloads from the huge Envato Elements library of 420,000+ creative assets. Create with unique fonts, photos, graphics and templates, and deliver better projects faster.